PHILADELPHIA, PA - The Pennsylvania-Russia Business Council is pleased to be a supporter of the World Russian Forum conference, which is hosted by the Kontinent USA Media Group & Russian House. The World Russian Forum will take place on April 29-30, 2002 in Washington DC on the eve of the much anticipated May, Putin-Bush summit.

US-Russian relations have acquired a new character, with a strategic alliance, fighting common global threats. The tremendous growth and potential of the Russian market is now offering unparalleled opportunities, enabling US industry to trade and invest in Russia. The World Russian Forum will provide the setting for dialogue between business and political representatives and enhance the new era of economic, cultural, scientific and social cooperation between the two countries.

The first day of the conference will be held at the Ronald Reagan Building and Conference Center in Washington, DC on Monday, April 29th. It is dedicated to business, investment, trade and economic issues. The second day of the conference is centered around strategic, political and macro-economic conditions in Russia and between the two countries. It will be held on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, April 30th, in the Senate Dirksen Building. The conference will be attended by representatives of the US and Russian Administrations as well as leading businesses and industries from both countries.

The Russian Economy: Road to growth and prospects for US investment: The Russian stock market has been the best performing emerging market in 2001 and the economy continues to grow at steady rates, presenting US companies with unique business and investment opportunities.

Investing in Russia: Corporate Governance and the legal framework: A roundtable discussion on the opportunities created by: the privatization of thousands of industries, public utilities, growth in consumer demand, flat taxation and the capital friendly environment. The discussion will include corporate governance and legal framework issues in view of legislative reform.

The Russian Software Industry: Opportunities in outsourcing: A panel discussion with US and Russian entrepreneurs and officials with hands-on experience in the IT sector. Russian intellectual capital in hi-tech and software are creating a whole new domestic and export software industry with enormous potential for business development.

Land privatization: New opportunities for enterprise and investment: Rich urban and agricultural land in Russia is poised for privatization creating unprecedented opportunities of a historical magnitude for investments and private enterprise. Russian and US lawmakers and agribusiness leaders provide a roadmap to the future.

Investing in Russian Oil: Strategic and investment issues: Russia is emerging as the most stable & strategic supplier of oil & gas to western markets. A discussion on investment opportunities in the sector.

US-Russian Alliance: Cooperation in cultural, social, scientific and political affairs: A democratic Russia is emerging as a new ally for the United States. A discussion on what unites the two great countries.

US-Russian Trade: Opportunities and challenges in the present environment: Globalization of the Russian economy is creating new opportunities and challenges for governments and businesses in both countries. A discussion on US-Russian trade issues.

The Russian health system and the demographic crisis: A panel of health care experts discuss what can be done to help the Russian demographic crisis.
Sum Russian Media and freedom of speech: A panel of media representatives and free speech advocates talk about the future of Russian media.

Registration fee for the Pennsylvania-Russia Business Council members and clients is $150 for both days, including the reception Monday night at The Russian Trade Mission. Log on to www.russiajournal.com/wrf to register. For more information on this conference, please contact Val Kogan, PRBC President, by phone: (215) 708-2628, email: prbc@att.net, or visit the PRBC website at: http://fita.org/prbc

Comments and Welcome Address, 9:00 am
Edward Lozansky: President of the World Russian Forum, Publisher of The Russia Journal(USA Version) and Kontinent USA.

Session One 9:10 - 10:30 am
The Russian Economy: Road to Growth and Prospects for US Business.
Introductory remarks and moderation by Trevor Gunn, Director of the Business Information Service for the Newly Independent States (BISNIS), United States Department of Commerce.

Speakers Include:
Elvira Nabiulina, First Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade of the
Russian Federation.
Irina Khakamada, Deputy Speaker of the Duma of the Russian Federation.
Andrew Somers, President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Moscow.
Kent Hill, Assistant Administrator for Europe and Eurasia at the US Agency for
International Development (USAID).
Irene Commeau, President, European Business Club in Moscow.

Session Two 10:30 -11:15 am
US-Russian Trade, a Road Map to the Future.
A panel of policy and legislative experts discusses US policy and trade with Russia, Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR), and challenges in view of Russian entry into the WTO.

Moderated by Helen Teplitskaia, Pres. Of Russian /American Chamber of Commerce and
Industry.

Speakers Include:
Jim Gale, Regional Manager for Europe, Russia and the NIS at the Overseas Private
Investment Corporation (OPIC).
Dan Stein, Regional Director for Eurasia at the US Trade and Development Agency
(USTDA).
Paul Tumminia, Director for Russia/CIS countries at the Export - Import Bank of the
United States).
Eric Crabtree, Senior Investment Officer, in the Central and Eastern Europe Division at
the International Finance Corporation.
Peter O. Koelle, Managing Director, CIS of HypoVereinsbank.

Speakers Include:
Sergey Generalov, Chairman of the Investment Policy Committee of the State Duma
John Conner, Founder and Portfolio Manager of the Third Millennium Russia Fund
Winston Lindsley, President of ITIC
Rick Seney, CEO of MCT Corp. of Alexandria, Virginia
Anthony Moro, Vice President and Head of EEMEA at The Bank of New York
Laura Brank, Partner at Chadbourne & Park
Rostislav Tanaevsky-Blanco, President of Rosinter, Russia's largest restaurant chain

Session Five: 2:15-3:00 pm
Russian Land Privatization, Agribusiness and Investment Opportunities.
Proposed legislation and land reforms will open up some of the richest land on the planet to private agriculture.

Speakers Include:
Dean Dort, Vice President, International Business Support at John Deere.
Robert Peyton, President and CEO of the Agribusiness Management Company.
Additional speakers to be announced.**

Session Six: 3:15-5:00 pm
The Russian Software Industry; Will Russian intellectual capital lead to the creation of a sustainable IT industry?

Moderator: Dan Satinsky: Chairman of the Board of the Russian-American Chamber of Commerce of Boston, Inc.

Themes and speakers:
Russian intellectual capital and its potential on global IT markets
Stephan Palchikov, Member of the Board at Parascript. Can Russian Outsourcing companies compete in the US market?
Brian Phelps, CEO of Vested Technologies
Neil Godick, President and CEO of PHLburg Technologies. Can Russian technology products compete in the US market?
Andrew Sviridenko, President and CEO of SPIRIT Corp.
Sergei Andreev, General Director, ABBYY. How can government and non-government organizations assist with the expansion of US-Russian IT business?
Vadim Kapustin, President of the Russian Digital Alliance
Leonid Malkov, President of Cogitum and Member of the Board of the Russian Digital Alliance
Alexei Smolyansky. President, Integrum